Forever living the tradition of Battalion 1 Long An in the attack direction southwest of Saigon Spring 1975

Long An Battalion 1 marched to transport weapons to attack Saigon during the 1968 Tet Offensive.

Long An - a province in the Mekong Delta, is located close, like a bow tightly embracing the southwest of Saigon before 1975. This location is of special importance, being a springboard for our forces to attack Saigon, and at the same time, it is also a place that suffered unprecedented fierceness of war, the peak of the bomb and bullet confrontation between us and the enemy, the place where Vietnamese revolutionary heroism blossomed, crystallized in the 8 golden words that the Central Government gave to the army and people of Long An " Loyalty and steadfastness, the whole people fight the enemy ".

Today, Battalion 1 Long An is an infantry unit under the Military Command of Long An province, Military Region 7, with a long history of brilliant achievements, being awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces three times (in 1970, 1979 and 1983), being one of four battalions in the entire army (up to this point) honored to receive the above noble award. The unit was established in 1960, after 60 years of construction, fighting and growing (1960-2025), going through 2 wars against the US and protecting the Southwest border, helping Cambodia to create 12 traditional red words: "Go wherever you go, fight wherever you are told, win wherever you fight" and is currently continuing to build a heroic unit for the fourth time, in the renovation period.

During the resistance war against the US, after its establishment, the Battalion made outstanding achievements in the battle to destroy the US commando training base in Hiep Hoa (Duc Hue - Long An) on the night of November 23, 1963, killing hundreds of enemies, capturing 4 US advisors for the first time in the South and notably attacking Saigon twice: The first time was in the Mau Than Campaign in 1968 (phase 2) famous for the 7-day and night battle of stubbornly holding out at the Chu Y bridge front, District 8 - Saigon, confronting an elite US brigade and many puppet forces that have gone down in history and the second time was in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign in the Spring of 1975, attacking the Southwest to liberate Saigon.

From mid-April 1975, the battlefield situation in the whole South became extremely exciting, completely beneficial to our army and people. Battalion 1 Long An - the heroic unit was chosen by the superiors to be assigned the task of opening the way for Group 232 to attack Saigon from the Southwest, commanded by General Le Duc Anh. At that time, I was the company liaison, wearing an AK with a folding stock and a radio provided by the battalion to the companies. Thanks to that, wherever the unit marched, I knew the progress of our troops attacking Saigon, full of enthusiasm for attack and victory.

The battle formation of our troops was gradually tightening on Saigon. In the North, East and West, the main army corps and troops were in charge. In the South, the terrain was complex and swampy, and was in charge of the main units of Military Region 8. Battalion 1 Long An was in this attack formation. At that time, Battalion 1 was stationed in the Ba Lang cajuput area (Thanh Loi commune, Ben Luc district) when it received an urgent marching order. At that time, none of the soldiers knew that they would be participating in the attack on Saigon, but were only happy to meet the people who had helped the troops during the fierce period of holding out in the outskirts.

The entire unit passed through Tan Dong, circled down to My Tho, then fought to clear the way from Long Tri commune (Chau Thanh - Long An) to Quon Long (Cho Gao - Go Cong). A number of small posts and outposts were surrounded and forced to retreat and surrender, creating a corridor area for the main units of Military Region 8. Next, Battalion 1 expanded its attack to the communes of An Luc Long, Thanh Phu Long, Thanh Vinh Dong (Chau Thanh - Long An).

In the early morning of April 10, 1975, Battalion 1 attacked 3 important targets: destroying Phu Loc post, destroying a security company protecting the residence of Tran Thien Khiem (Prime Minister of the Saigon government) and a number of posts and police stations bordering Thanh Phu and Thuan My communes. On April 14, 1975, the unit advanced to Tan Tru to surround Cay The sub-region. The battle involved 2 companies: Company 1 commanded by comrade Tan, Company 2 commanded by comrade Vu Hung.

After a night of siege, we killed a large number of enemy soldiers, the rest surrendered. At the same time, the unit spread out to destroy the Rach E posts, Tan Phuoc Tay crossroads and a number of posts in Binh Trinh Dong and Nhut Ninh communes (Tan Tru district). From Tan Tru, Battalion 1 crossed the Vam Co Dong river to Can Duoc land, attacked the enemy in Nha Dai hamlet, Tan Lan and Phuoc Tuy communes, destroyed dozens of posts, police stations and a security company.

Long An Battalion 1 captured 4 American advisors in the battle to destroy the American commando training base in Hiep Hoa, Duc Hue, Long An on the night of November 23, 1963.

On April 25, 1975, Battalion 1 attacked the enemy at My Le bridge, taking advantage of the victory to attack Dao market. The battle took place in broad daylight, the enemy used artillery (air-exploding shells) to block them, but our troops followed closely, not letting them escape. We destroyed a security company, liberated Cho Dao market town and My Le commune; then destroyed and forced the retreat of Phuoc Lam, My Loc, Phuoc Hau posts, Can Giuoc district. In one day and one night, we forced the surrender, forced the retreat and destroyed 6 enemy posts and outposts.

From April 10 to 26, Battalion 1 destroyed 30 posts and forts, including forcing surrender and withdrawal, destroying security companies, successfully completing the mission of opening the way for superior forces to attack Saigon.

On April 26, 1975, the Ho Chi Minh Campaign began. Our troops from all directions "speedily" advanced to liberate Saigon. On April 28, Battalion 1 Long An attacked the An Phu commune area, adjacent to Highway 5, about 8km south of Nhi Thien Duong Bridge, followed by the main regiments of Military Region 8 closing in. After more than a month of continuous attacks with the spirit of cutting bamboo, Saigon was in sight, victory was very close.

The areas where the officers and soldiers of Battalion 1 used to have to "cut the line" have now been completely liberated. The soldiers moved around in broad daylight, the people were happy and excited, seeing the helicopters flying very low, hastily leaving Saigon. Those were the last planes carrying the ringleaders of the puppet army and government to escape.

On April 29, Battalion 1 and the main regiments of Military Region 8 entered District 8. We crossed the Quan Com and Kieu Cong Muoi rivers... Most of the stubborn and evil bandits fled, and the soldiers also abandoned their posts, took off their shirts, threw away their guns, and fled home.

On the morning of April 30, 1975, Battalion 1 crossed the Chu Y bridge - the footprints of soldiers of Battalion 1 Long An were imprinted on the very place where the unit fiercely confronted the American army, creating a brilliant miracle during the 7 days and nights of the Mau Than battle in 1968.

On the afternoon of April 30, the Battalion was ordered to advance to District 4 and then occupy Nha Be Military Port. At this point, Battalion 1 Long An successfully completed its mission of participating in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign. On May 7, 1975, the unit was ordered to march back to Long An to receive a new mission.

Major, former Deputy Commander of Battalion 1 Long An - Nguyen Van Chuyen (Tu Chuyen), 83 years old, from Hai Duong, recalled: "From mid-April 1975, with the spirit of stormy attacks throughout the South, the superiors requested Battalion 1 to attack "rolling", without research, attacking the enemy regardless of day or night. If there was resistance, use strong firepower to overwhelm and destroy or leave a part to besiege and destroy, the whole unit moved forward. In the battle of Cho Dao (My Le commune - Can Duoc), the Battalion decided to destroy Cho Dao bridge with 20kg of C4. However, when the battle was over, both ends of the bridge were still there, people could still cross. At this time, the Battalion 1 Command intended to destroy some culverts on the road, preventing the enemy from running across. But when deploying, Mr. Muoi Lai (from Tan Tru, Battalion Political Commissar) stopped because if the culverts were destroyed, salt water would flow into the fields, and people would not be able to grow rice. When the unit went to Can Duoc district Giuoc, heading straight to Saigon, was supplemented with local guerrillas to lead the way, but for some reason the guerrillas followed us. The reconnaissance battalion went first, encountered the enemy, and lay down at the fighting site. We organized an attack on an enemy counterattack battalion. The people stayed behind to dig trenches with the troops, and cooked and supplied food for the unit. We fought very hard. The enemy also fought back fiercely, but the spirit of liberation was rising like cutting bamboo, so wherever we fought, the enemy disintegrated. At this time, Hai Cam (from Duc Hoa, Battalion Commander) returned from training, and the Battalion Command had more strength. When the unit entered District 8, the companies quickly took sandbags to build fighting trenches. Each squad was thoroughly alerted, learning from the experience of the Mau Than battle in 1968, the enemy dropped a 61 mortar from the second floor, we suffered casualties, so this time we had to carefully cover the trench cover. At this time, I felt pain in my foot and realized that I had lost my sandal while pursuing the enemy. But I still walked straight on the street to borrow a Jeep, called a driver to take me to several bus companies. The purpose was to mobilize vehicles to transport soldiers to assigned targets. When I arrived at a bus company near the Ba Son workers' area, I met a girl about 40 years old, dressed splendidly standing there. I said: "I am a liberation soldier, do you have a bus for us to borrow?" The girl quickly replied: "Officer, there is a car but no conductor". "Please find me a driver" - I said quickly. The girl went to call the driver. I took the opportunity to explain to the workers standing around about the revolutionary policy, requiring workers to protect the factory, not to destroy it. When the driver and conductor were present, I requested that someone from the bus owner's family follow to get the bus back. After that, I led the convoy to the battalion's temporary stop. The companies loaded their weapons onto the bus. I, Mr. Muoi Lai and Mr. Hai Cam got on a Zeep in the lead, followed by a bus. Company 1 was stationed at Bac Binh Vuong bridge (Khanh Hoi bridge) connecting to Trinh Minh The street (now Nguyen Tat Thanh street). Company 2 was stationed next, near Hai Cay Dua restaurant, other companies were also located along Trinh Minh The street, spread to Xom Chieu market and the surrounding area. At 11:30 a.m. on April 30, 1975, our troops had occupied all the targets in Saigon city, the revolutionary flag was flying on the roof of the Independence Palace. Battalion 1 carried out the mission of sweeping the enemy, collecting guns, ammunition, and spoils of war to hand over to the revolution, strictly enforcing military discipline.

Long An 1st Battalion liaison soldier - Doan The Tho pursued the surrendering enemy in the battle on December 20, 1974 in Binh Duc, Ben Luc, Long An

Remember, during the entire campaign, the number of casualties of Battalion 1 was very few, because the enemy weakened very quickly, although there were times when they stubbornly fought back fiercely. There was a very touching case of sacrifice, martyr Doan The Tho, from Bac Giang, who worked as a company liaison. In the battle on April 12, 1975, Tho fought very bravely, killing many enemies like in previous battles.

At the end of the battle, Captain Muoi Tam (from Ben Tre) ordered a retreat. Surprisingly, on the other side of the nearby mound, there was still a puppet soldier who survived. He raised his AR15 and shot Tho in the upper thigh, causing him to collapse. His teammates bandaged him in time, but due to the seriousness of his wound and the loss of a lot of blood, Tho died that afternoon, just a few days before the victory on April 30.

I have a memory of the afternoon of April 30, 1975, when the unit finished building a combat fortification on Trinh Minh The street corridor, District 4, the squads took turns going into people's houses to buy rice to cook because they were very hungry. Our group of 3 people carrying 3 AKs walked along the edge of the street but all the doors were closed. It took a long time to see a house with lights on, we stood in front of it and shouted through the crack in the door: Is anyone home? Silence. I called again. Still silence. Suddenly seeing a shadow in the stairwell, I said loudly: We are liberation soldiers, we want to buy rice from the people to cook rice to eat. Hearing that, the landlady stepped out cautiously but still showed obvious fear. I continued: The liberation soldiers did not arrest you, we only asked you! Hearing that, the landlady dared to step out and open the door for us to enter. For the first time, when the gunfire stopped, we saw a well-built house with full amenities of Saigon city, bright neon lights, the feeling was hard to describe. The hostess guided us to the toilet to wash our hands and feet, then she quietly went to cook rice. We went in to wash our hands and feet but still held our guns and took turns being vigilant. When we finished, we sat down on the cool tiled floor. Under the electric light at this time, we could see that our thighs were covered with red mosquito bites, forming "hives" due to many nights of continuous marching and fighting, sleeping on the ground, with our heads propped up on mounds of dirt, guns placed on our chests, sleeping briefly, then getting up and leaving again. We looked at each other, laughing, feeling sympathy for our comrades and teammates. At that moment, the hostess brought out a tray of rice with vegetable soup cooked with perch, fried eggs and a bowl of white rice. She said: You guys eat, you must be very hungry! We thanked the hostess and picked up our bowls of rice to eat. Oh! What a wonderful meal! Partly because we were so hungry, partly because the rice and food were cooked to our liking, but most importantly because we felt the love and affection of the people of Saigon for the soldiers on the first day of liberation. Fifty years have passed. I wonder if the hostess from that year is still alive? And if so, where is she? We would like to send her our warm regards!

I returned to visit the old battlefield on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025). The footsteps of the old veteran leisurely strolled on the sidewalks of Nguyen Tat Thanh (Trinh Minh The), Chu Y bridge, Xom Chieu market,... places bearing the marks of the hot battlefields of the past. The streets were bustling with people and vehicles going back and forth. The towering, magnificent buildings of the 4.0 era overwhelmed me. Suddenly, deep in the prosperous rhythm of life of the city today, I heard a question: Why are so many people absent on a happy day? Yes, there are many, many of my comrades and teammates absent. They have fallen on this land. Yet it feels as if they are still here, walking with everyone.

Above is the blue sky, white clouds. Below is peace. A new stature of Ho Chi Minh City, of the country is rising in the aspiration to develop and move forward. But in that stature, there are clearly the figures of millions of liberation soldiers of the past, including the soldiers of Battalion 1 Long An - the unit that was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces three times.

Hanoi, early April 2025

Notes by Nguyen Dang Van

* The author has referred to the relevant documents in this article in the books: Battalion 1 Long An - Unit three times Hero of the People's Armed Forces (People's Army Publishing House in 2003) and Forever the color of the flag three times Hero (People's Army Publishing House in 2024)

Source: https://baolongan.vn/song-mai-truyen-thong-tieu-doan-1-long-an-trong-mui-tien-cong-huong-tay-nam-sai-gon-xuan-1975-a192692.html